NINE-YEAR-OLD award-winning author Stacey Fru says her passion for reading and writing was the driving force behind her latest book, which is to be launched at the weekend.
Stacey spent four months writing her second book, Bob and the Snake, while Wits University vice-chancellor Adam Habib wrote its foreword.
The young writer from Johannesburg won the 2016 National Development Agency Award for Best ECD Publication 2015: Special Mention Category for her first book, Smell Cats.
The remarkably disciplined Stacey wrote Bob and the Snake in the evenings before bedtime, in the morning before she went out to play, and between play breaks.
In a teaser about the book, she described Bob as a snake lover who becomes happy after hearing his parents planning to buy him a real snake for his birthday. A few weeks later, the snake gets crowned a city hero for saving Bob’s family from a thief who breaks into their house while they are asleep.
“Ironically, Lob the snake is the same reason why Bob runs away from home for days,” said Stacey.
Stacey won two awards at the 5th Nelson Mandela International Day Community Leadership Award Ceremony: Young Leader 2016 for her motivational and inspirational roles, and Academic Achievements and Initiatives: 2016 for her writing.
“It is very exciting because I love reading and writing, and I would like to send a message out there to children and adults,” she said.
Stacey was also nominated speaker of choice for any crowd, and has given public talks to matric pupils at the AngloGold Ashanti Career Expo 2015.